Mote Aquarium Take 2

Rainy days at the beach are not that bad! We decided to take advantage and went shopping for souvenirs.

Then we headed out to our favorite laboratory - The Mote Aquarium! This is no ordinary tourist attraction. The Mote Aquarium is home to some serious scientists who have discovered a very effective and very rapid way to regrow coral reefs! It's also home to some really cool animals, like this guy.

and this guy

Mom loved the jellyfish.

There were so many different kinds

I think she would have stayed there watching them all day if we hadn't tugged her along.

B's favorite were the little seahorses.

They had SO many cool and rare animals to see.

This hideous guy was my favorite because I got to stand around telling everyone that the frogfish is the fastest animal alive. It can open and close it's jaws in just 6 milliseconds! One of the volunteers offered me a job!

When you're on vacation your parents will cough up 2 dollars to experience a hurricane in a very small tube. One of our parents was much less enthusiastic about it than the other.

Bet you were wondering where the scary guys were! We saw a zillion different kinds of sharks too.

Mom says this exhibit was the scariest in the aquarium.

I don't know though...  These guys are spooky!

We always think of Uncle Scott when we get to pet the super friendly sting rays. This guy really liked us!

and this one looked like he had a big smile on his face.

Thanks Mote Aquarium!

One of the rarest specimens you'll see is the Momparazzi.  I managed to photograph this highly elusive mammal outside the aquarium.

We came back the next day for a boat tour because it was pouring rain the first day. We were so excited to get on the boat.

There are over 150 dolphins and over 200 manatee who live in the Siesta Key area. We got to see our old friend Rip Torn.

We watched and watched and watched.  B was pretty mad that he didn't get to swim with the wild dolphins.

We went to a small island and learned about the mango trees which grow straight out of the water in Siesta Key.

Some of the wildlife was really tough looking.

Some of it was just plain goofy.

We took a quick trip past the nesting grounds and saw all kinds of baby birds in their nests

That pink bird is actually not a flamingo.  Our guide pointed out so many interesting facts.

Then we experienced the highlight of the day. Three young dolphins playing right next to our boat!

They were so amazing.

We could have watched them all day, but they had other places to be.

So we went fishing and pulled in all kinds of cool sea life. Here's an urchin.

It's not sharp, but those quills do move! 

A starfish who is busy regenerating one lost leg.

Very cool

There were all kinds of fish and spiders and crabs to look at.

For a kids who loves to learn about animals, it was a perfect day.

Until I sat on a cactus.  Just kidding!

Thanks Mote Aquarium!